The Skills That Employers Seek in Recent College Graduates

What do skills do employers seek in recent college graduates? Do having a high GPA matter, do Ivy league graduates have a better chance that a community college graduate, will joining a fraternity or sorority make a huge difference?

Unfortunately, last year only 44% of college seniors felt very prepared for their careers, according to a survey of more than 5,000 students by McGraw-Hill. 54% percent is a huge number, especially considering that 68% of students will graduate with loan debt. What is it that scares students so much about the business world? The good news is that this subject had been researched extensively.

A simple google search of "What employers seek in college graduates", and hundreds if not thousands of articles will pop up. Most articles will list the same exact characteristics and from there it can be determined what it is that employers actually seek. As a recent college graduate, there are many different characteristics that can give you a competitive edge over your peers when seeking employment, but the skills employer seek the most are; great communication skills, teamwork skills, and the ability to solve problems.

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Communication is one of the most sought-after traits that employers go after when recruiting college graduates. The top 3 area of communication that they focus on are verbal communication skills, writing proficiency, and the display of body language. Not only is it important to be able to communicate with customers, but it is just as important to have the same type of communication with supervisors and peers.

Good verbal communication can help avoid conflict or a misunderstanding. According to Bosworth (2018), a form of miscommunication happens "When someone who hasn’t undergone an individual or team communication program, they default to presenting information using their own communication pattern instead of considering the communication pattern of the receiver".

Good verbal communication also helps build a stronger relationship in the workplace. Employees are more engaged in their work and can better align with company objectives and goals when a culture of good communication is established in a team or workplace.

It is also important to pay attention to body language when communicating with someone. Whether it is intentional or just a reflex every little gesture will be monitored by upper management. It is important to be able to hold back emotion whether the circumstances are good or bad. During team meetings it is important to be attentive to the person speaking, an act as simple as fidgeting or looking down could give the impression of being bored or distracted. As a manager, it is also important not to be too stern or casual. Things like a tense face or leaning on someone when conversing with them could be taken the wrong way.

Writing proficiency is often overlooked when thinking of communication but it is just as important as verbal. Not only are employers requiring a writing background, but most degrees require them as well. Klazema (2018) states "When PayScale surveyed nearly 64,000 managers for its 2016 survey, 44% of them said recent college graduates lacked proficiency in writing". The emergence of email and writing correspondence has made writing communication a vital skill to have.

Not only is the ability to delegate task important, but the ability to work as a team member and participate in the task is just as important. The most important thing you can do as a team member is listening. You must be able to listen to the ideas and concerns of your peers in order to be an effective team member. By asking questions for clarification, demonstrating concern, and using nonverbal cues, you can show your team members that you care and understand them. A group of workers is more effective than one. So it helps to actively voice opinions but also listen to others. This approach could help the group develop a solution to the do problem and prevent overworking. It is important that peers can rely on eachother at work.

Not only is reliability as a team good for company production, but it also creates a positive vibe that help ease tension. Sometimes a team member has to step up and become the leader. It is good to to highlight all leadership roles on a resume. You'll need to learn how to delegate, take direction, value differences of opinion, and play to your and your co-workers' strengths and weaknesses. It goes without saying that nobody likes the employee who wants to hog the spotlight. Be sure to point out your co-workers' contributions to projects.